Sunday, October 30, 2005

Davis-Bacon Act reinstated

On September 8, the President suspended the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act following the Gulf Coast storm (read my rant here).

According to an as-yet-unpublished letter from Sojourners: "The AFL-CIO estimates people of faith and community activists sent more than 350,000 letters to lawmakers in the weeks following the president's suspension of Davis-Bacon."

On September 22, 37 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the White House appealing Mr. Bush's suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act Their letter promised that quick action by the president would help prevent legislative action by the Congress.

Quoting Sojourners again: "Last Thursday [10.20], Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) filed a joint resolution under a little-known and never-before-used provision of the 1976 National Emergencies Act (PL 94-412). The law, which allows Congress to rescind a national emergency declaration by the president, would have required a floor vote in the House by the second week of November.

That vote became unnecessary a week later when the President relented, restoring full protection of the Bacon-Davis Act.

This is not everything. But it's certainly something, and I'm grateful.

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